NEWS
DAVINA MCCALL HONOURED BY CHILDREN ’ S CHARITY AFTER RAISING £ 500K
Davina McCall has been honoured by children ’ s charity , Action Medical Research , after helping to raise £ 500,000 to help save and change the lives of sick and disabled babies and children .
The hugely popular TV presenter has supported the UK-wide charity since she was a child , inspired by her granny Pippy , and has brought her warmth and charisma to countless fundraising events over the years .
Each year she hosts ‘ Davina ’ s Big Sussex Bike Ride ’ in June , a female-friendly ride through the leafy lanes of Sussex , as well as ‘ Dine with Davina ’ in Hampshire in the autumn – and these two events have now raised an impressive half a million pounds .
“ Even though she ’ s one of the UK ’ s busiest and most loved personalities , Davina has continued her family tradition after she was introduced to our work at the age of nine and helped us to continue our fight for little lives ,” says Jenny Edwards , director of fundraising at Action Medical Research .
“ Dine with Davina , which is now in its tenth year , has raised £ 240,000 over the past decade while her Big Sussex Bike Ride has brought in £ 260,000 . This is an amazing achievement and a huge contribution to our work funding groundbreaking medical research across the UK - thank you Davina !”
For more than 60 years , Action Medical Research has been saving and changing children ’ s lives and has spent more than £ 115 million funding medical breakthroughs , including helping to introduce the first polio vaccines in the UK , discovering the importance of taking folic acid before and during pregnancy to prevent spina bifida , developing the use of ultrasound in pregnancy , and testing the rubella vaccine .
The charity is currently funding research into conditions including prematurity , stillbirth , epilepsy , meningitis , cerebral palsy , brain cancer and some rare and distressing conditions .
For more information on Action Medical Research , please visit action . org . uk .
HURST U12 GIRLS CROWNED NATIONAL HOCKEY CHAMPIONS
Last month , the U12 girls hockey team from Hurstpierpoint College were crowned National IAPS Hockey Champions 2016 .
The championships took place at Clifton College and Hurst started the day with a 1-0 win against Dumpton School , Wimborne .
Some beautifully executed hockey followed in the games against Foremarke Hall , St Faith ’ s School and Wycliffe . With an initial draw and scores of 2-1 and 4-0 to Hurst , the girls topped their pool to go through to the semi-finals with Millfield , Foremarke Hall ( Repton Prep ) and Cranleigh .
Hurst showed real grit as they played against Milfield , and , after going 1-0 down early on , the girls kept pushing forward to secure two exceptional goals , supported by some solid defending .
Hurst reached the final against Foremarke Hall . Even after playing 100 minutes of Hockey , the girls kept up their game , moving the ball with pace and intelligence for a 2-1 win to secure the national title .
" This is a very talented group of girls and there is no doubt that they deserved to win . It is a dream to coach such a committed team of young athletes ,” said Scott Simkins , head of hockey and U12 coach . “ This is another step in the right direction for Hurst hockey as our aim is to be constantly competing on a national level , with both boys and girls .”
“ This is a wonderful achievement ,” added Ian Pattison , head of prep and pre-prep at Hurst added . “ It really reflects our girls ’ love of sport , their joy of competing and the hard work that all the girls in that year group have put into their school work and sport this year .”
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